The present invention relates generally to a system and a method for obtaining information concerning a product or service at the product or service location and, more particularly, to such a system and a method which employs an existing transmission medium for the delivery of the information to the product or service location, whereby the information is delivered to a user by audio means.
When a consumer is at a retail establishment, for example, and is attempting to ascertain information concerning a particular product for potential purchase, the consumer often is unable to obtain information beyond that which can be directly observed by examining the product. Store representatives are not always knowledgeable about the products and, often, simply cannot be located, resulting in the customer being unable to obtain the desired information.
In the past, methods have been developed for displaying pricing and other information of a more general nature on shelf display tags. The most common prior art method involves the transmission of an optical signal from an electronic transmitter which includes an address code, to a display tag which accepts the pricing information from the optical transmitter and displays the received information on the particular display tag. With such existing electronic pricing display systems, the display tag automatically displays whatever information is received without any decision by the consumer as to whether the information is desired.
A need has developed for a system with which the consumer can obtain detailed audible information concerning a product or service beyond the mere price of the product or service. Such a system is particularly desirable in retail establishments where more in-depth information concerning a potential purchase is often desired. For example, when a consumer is shopping for major purchases, such as appliances, the consumer often desires to have specialized information concerning the product, such as warranties, service requirements, etc. that the store salesman is unable to provide.
The present invention comprises a system and a method for providing information concerning a product or service at the location of the product or service. The information is provided over a computer-based system in which the information may be entered in audio form at a first or remote location and is encoded and transmitted to the retail establishment. The information transmitted from the first location may be received and modified, if desirable, by a computer located at a second or on-site location within the facility. With the system and method of the present invention, all of the information is preferably transmitted over a standard telephone data line. At the receiver location, the transmitted information is stored in a computer-based memory device for selective transmission to individual user activated units at desired locations within the facility, where the information can be obtained upon activation by the consumer as desired.